'He found someone he loved more than himself': Bob and Blanche’s ‘forever’ love story

By Liz Little| 2 years ago

"Oh s***! Do I really have to ask them when they first started to have sex? They’ll just tell me to get stuffed and you can’t blame them."

These were the first thoughts Charles Wooley had in 1995 preparing for his now famous interview with Bob Hawke and new love, Blanche D’Alpuget.

"Every woman in Australia wants you to ask them that question," Wooley’s producer replied. And she was right.

At 64, the former Prime Minister had announced his separation from wife of 40-years, Hazel, and publicly declared his love for the much younger Blanche. It was the biggest romantic scandal in Australian political history, with the public turning on our most popular Prime Minister. Hawke shifted from much-loved leader of the nation to one half of Australia’s most recognized and scrutinized ‘two-timing couple.’

60 Minutes had the exclusive, and Wooley was assigned the story. Back then a leading TV critic predicted, 'So when did the sex begin?' would become the question of the year, and be forever ingrained in both the history of the program and the love story of Bob and Blanche. But twenty years on Wooley recalls, "I was wrong. For the most part that gauche question was soon consigned to a forgotten corner of the archives. Until this week."

This Sunday on 60 Minutes, Wooley takes the opportunity to amend history and ask what he believes is a much better question.

Wooley: I must say now with the weight of experience and the years upon me, I wouldn’t ask when it began but rather how long can it last?

Bob: Forever!

Blanche: Absolutely! I think the thing for both of us is love means adoration.

Wooley: You’re a believer in romantic love?

Blanche: Yes I’m a believer in something a bit more than romantic love because as we understand it now it’s somewhat saccharine.”

In Wooley’s latest encounter with Bob and Blanche no topic is taboo. They discuss politics and love; life and death.

Wooley admits that although he and the 60 Minutes crew fell hopelessly in love with Blanche, and were charmed by Bob’s complete and continuing adoration of his wife, there will still be critics, especially in the media. "Media is a cold and lonely business without much of the milk of human kindness. I imagine many will be aghast at Bob’s claim that he is forever grateful to Paul Keating for deposing him and so leaving him free to pursue the love of his life without disastrous electoral consequences," he says.

Bob: Thank you Paul because if it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t have had this.

Wooley: So out of adversity…comes redemption.

Bob: Yeah absolutely and that’s not just playing with words, that’s a simple objective fact of life.

During his years as Prime Minister, Bob Hawke healed the division of the Fraser years and achieved key reforms in wages, banking and education. But despite his strong leadership and many successes, his affair with Blanche has overshadowed his political legacy.

Now, as it approaches a quarter of a century since Hawke quit politics, Wooley poses the difficult question to him: What was more significant, his heart or his duty?

Wooley: Love was more important than prime-minister-ship?

Bob: Absolutely!

Wooley: In you (Blanche) he found someone he loved even more than himself, didn’t he?

Blanche: Yes I think so, yes.

Bob: Absolutely!

Bob and Blanche reveal all in the official round two of their 60 Minutes interview – 7.00 Sunday on Channel 9.